A slow and bad day for Aaron-Wooi Yik

KUALA LUMPUR: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik admitted that their slow adaptation to the fast and windy conditions, compounded by a high number of unforced errors, led to their semi-final defeat at the India Open in New Delhi today.

The former world champions lost 21-10, 13-21, 21-11 in 44 minutes to Japan's world No. 22 Hiroki Midorikawa-Kyohei Yamashita at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.

The defeat ended Malaysia's challenge at the Super 750 tournament.

"The shuttle was quite fast compared to yesterday and it's quite windy in the arena. We took too long to adapt to the conditions," said Wooi Yik.

Aaron-Wooi Yik struggled to find their footing in the opening game as the Japanese pair seized control with aggressive front-court play and sustained pressure from the back.

The Malaysians showed greater composure in the second game, tightening their defence and varying their pace to disrupt their opponents' rhythm.

However, unforced errors in the third killed their chance to build on the good work they did in the second.

"The confidence on court is still there, we were still trying to get into the game after the second.

"But there were too many unforced errors from us," said Aaron.

Any hopes of forcing a late turnaround faded in the deciding game as the Japanese pair reasserted their authority with a high-tempo approach.

"We were mostly on the defence and because the shuttle was quite fast, it's not easy to disrupt their rhythm and build our own," said Aaron.

The loss denied Malaysia Open runners-up Aaron-Wooi Yik a place in their second final of the season and highlighted the importance of quick adaptation against opponents who thrive on speed and aggression.

Earlier in the day, world No. 2 women's doubles Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah also bowed out in the semi-finals after losing 21-16, 21-13 to Japan's world No. 6 Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto.